About Me

Hello, Ciao,안녕하세요, Hallo, Hola, Selamat tengahari! My name is Rachael and I am a travel enthusiast. Ever since I can remember, my parents have taken my brother, sister and I on good ol' American road trips. It's safe to say that was where my interest in new places, people and experiences was ignited. As my parents always encouraged my siblings and I to explore and ask questions, I developed a sincere curiosity for new adventures. In addition to seeing much of the United States with my favorite travel companions (my family), I had the opportunity to spend a semester in Rome, Italy, as well as a semester in Seoul, South Korea during my college career. Now, I am honored to be taking part in a Fulbright ETA Scholarship to Malaysia for a year!
My family's favorite motto is "Life is all about the journey, not the destination." I invite you to join along in my journey of cultural exchange and mutual understanding in Malaysia! After all, the more, the merrier.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Chesley's Malaysian Adventure: Taman Negara

The canopy walk of Taman Negara!

We arrived in Taman Negara National Park late that same
evening. We stayed at Rainforest Resort, which was located in a small, Islamic
village called Kuala Tahan Taman Negara is the largest national park in
Peninsular Malaysia, and it is famous for its lush rainforests, animals, birds
and rare insects. We enjoyed an interesting, yet tough, jungle trek through the
rainforest where we encountered wild hogs, many monkeys, interesting herbs and
even some insects. Our guide was very informative and he never once hesitated
to scale a tree and climb up the tree to show us rainforest wonders! At one
point in our jungle trek, we even walked across one of the longest canopy walks
in the world. As we walked across, the bridge slightly swayed from side to
side, and below we could see the rich flora and fauna at the summit of the
rainforest.

All nice and cozy in the back of the 4x4!

At night, we enjoyed
a 4x4 night jungle safari. During this tour, we were able to see nocturnal
plants and animals, and we saw several snakes, nocturnal insects and birds. As
we drove through the bumpy jungle trail, the extremely dark atmosphere surrounded
us. It was the most blackness I have ever experienced. So, when the 4x4 stopped
working, and the drivers stopped the vehicle in the pitch black of the jungle,
our stomachs churned a little. “Apa?” I asked the drivers. “We take a rest,”
they responded. My family and I were stranded in a dark jungle with two tour
guides we knew nothing about, and we had no indication of where we were. We
waited and waited. About thirty minutes later, the tour guides started the 4x4
and we set out of the jungle. When we safely arrived back at Rainforest Resort,
my mom and sister took a deep breath. “Wow,” we thought to ourselves.

One of the few floating restaurants located in the village.

One of my family’s favorite memories from Taman Negara was
the floating restaurants. These restaurants lined the river that connected Kuala
Tahan to Taman Negara. They were wooden restaurants that sat on the river like
docks. As we sat and ate, the restaurant would bob up and down with the ripples
in the water. It was quite different than anything we had ever experienced. One
night, the power even went out, so we ate in the dark and bobbed up and down
with the water below the flooring. At the restaurants, we ate nasi goreng
(fried rice with vegetables), mee hoon (a thin noodle with spicy sauce) and teh
tarik (an ice tea with condensed milk). In general, when it came to eating in
Malaysia, my family was extremely surprised by the infinite amount of ants that
accompanied us for every meal, especially at breakfast. One morning, we sat
eating toast and jam at our resort and ants literally took over our table
settings, as they scurried through the ripples of the fabric tablecloths. At
this point, I was familiar with the frequency of eating with ants, but for my
family, it was a very uncomfortable eating environment.

Taman Negara was an interesting opportunity for my family
and I to compare and contrast the landscapes we have seen and hiked through in
the States with those of the Malaysian rainforest. After two days in Taman
Negara admiring the rainforest landscape in intense heat, we headed to a new
kind of Malaysian environment in Cameron Highlands.

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Please Note: This blog and its contents are completely unofficial; they represent only my personal viewpoints, opinions and experiences. They do not reflect the views of the Fulbright Foundation or the State Departments of either the United States of America or Malaysia.